United News of Bangladesh

The movement of bulkhead will remain suspended for 10 days during the Eid-ul-Azha to ensure hassle-free movement of vessels, said Shipping Adviser Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain on Wednesday.Besides, stern action will be taken if there are any complaints of overcharging or carrying passengers beyond the permissible limit on waterways during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha, he said while speaking at a press briefing at the Secretariat.“Every launch must display the government-fixed fare chart at designated points. If any operator fails to comply legal action will be taken. It is often alleged that passengers are exploited during Eid with fares nearly one and a half to two times higher than the official rate. This time strict legal action will be taken against those responsible,” he said. Customs houses to remain open during holidays to support RMG exports ahead of EidTo ease congestion during the Eid rush, the adviser said three days before and three days after Eid-ul-Azha, ferry transport of general trucks and covered vans will remain suspended, except for vehicles carrying essential and perishable goods, said the adviser.To prevent accidents on waterways, rescue vessels will remain standby, he said.Besides, the law enforcement agencies will be deployed at all river ports, terminals and ghats to ensure the safety of passengers while district administrations will form task forces to operate mobile courts during the Eid journey, he added.Four Ansar members will be deployed in long-distance launch, said the adviser. “If this guideline is not followed and any incident occurs the launch owners will be held accountable. Ansar members must fulfill their duties responsibly,”he added.Meanwhile, staff working on launches and at ferry terminals must wear designated uniforms and carry ID cards, he said. CA Prof Yunus to visit UK after Eid to refresh Dhaka-London bondsTo strengthen security in crime-prone areas such as the Shitalakkhya River in Narayanganj, Gazaria in Munshiganj and the Meghna River in Barishal, the Coast Guard, River Police and Bangladesh Navy will conduct special patrols.From May 30 to June 14, the road between Dhaka’s Zero Point and Sadarghat must be kept free from parked buses to ensure smooth vehicular movement, the adviser said.“No buses should be left parked haphazardly on the roads. Police will monitor the area strictly and remove violators using wreckers if necessary,” he said.Besides, the adviser said after necessary dredging work ferry operations on the Chilmari-Roumari route will resume from tomorrow.

Shipping and Communication Reporters Forum (SCRF) and the National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways (NCPSRR) on Wednesday urged the government to ban movement of sand-carrying vessels (Bulkheads) from March 25 to April 7 to prevent accidents on waterways during the Eid-ul-Fitr journey. The two organisations also demanded mobile court drives against all types of illegal vessels. In a joint statement, signed by NCPSRR president Mohammed Shahid Mia and SCRF general secretary Lion Mohd Jahangir Alam called for immediate action to conduct mobile court drives across the country. Ban bulkheads movement to avoid waterway accidents during Eid trip: SCRF They urged the Ministry of Shipping, Department of Shipping (DoS), Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), River Police and Coast Guard to pay heed to their demand. The leaders of the organisations called for the involvement of district administration and the district police for preventing waterway accidents. In addition to punishing masters and drivers (sailors) without documents, the statement also demanded that vessel owners be held accountable for employing sailors without proper documents The statement expressed deep concern over frequent waterway accidents and the sinking of cargo boats in different parts of the country after being hit by bulkheads. 22.5 lakh holidaymakers to depart Dhaka via waterways for Eid-ul-Fitr, reports SCRF Despite the restriction on the movement of bulkheads from sunset to sunrise, the statement highlighted that hundreds of bulkheads are operating at night in absence of monitoring by the administration. The SCRF and the NCPSRR said that while the number of registered vessels is 15,000, there are at least 85,000 types of vessels across the country according to Director General of Department of Shipping. Among these, approximately 70,000 vessels are operating illegally, with bulkheads making up at least 6,000 of them, they said. According to the statement, out of 15,000 registered boats, regular annual survey (fitness test) is done only for 8,000. As per the knowledge of the concerned officials of the DoS and BIWTA, the remaining 7,000 unfit boats are plying freely. But the authorities concerned don’t take action against those for unknown reasons, the statement said.